RWBY: War for Remnant
by Lance09ner
Summary: After the defeat of Salem, peace returned to Remnant once again. But at a terrible cost. One that was too high to be ignored or payed. Soldiers now march out of Atlas in the thousands while Huntsmen and Huntresses stand their ground in Vale. Mistral has called upon its legions while Vacuo has summoned their warriors. In the center of it all, Ozpin.
1. Chapter 1 - Weiss

When Weiss took her first steps into the war room in Atlas's tallest tower, she was left dumbfounded. Her eyes opened wide at the sea of high tech computers all around the room that emmited a bright blue glow from their screens. Seated in front of them were hundreds of officers. Every single one were like robots that were communicating with one another through headsets whilst their fingers were in constant motion on their keyboards and their eyes glued to the screen.

The floor, walls and support structures were a meld of metal and stone and holograms. Mounted on every wall except the south one were massive flat screens which showed either satellite images of terrain or live video of current battles.

On the ceiling was a transparent light-blue holographic roof which allowed Weiss to witness the countless ships hovering above Atlas. Weiss continued to be amazed as she further gazed all around the room.

When her eyes fell onto Commander Ironwood who stood at the end of a raised walkway that led to the south wall that had no flat screens and instead was a transparent holographic wall, Weiss swiftly adjusted her attire and walked toward him with her head held high.

"Greetings, General Ironwood." Weiss introduced herself. She noticed that he had an entirely new look. Ironwood no longer concealed his cybernetic parts. He donned more armour on his human parts mixed in with a little of Atlas's white-militaristic uniform. He even had a long white cloak over his back. General Ironwood was far from the man Weiss once knew from when she was younger.

"Oh! Hello there, Weiss." Ironwood seemed surprised by her presence despite him being the one who summoned her to the war room for the first time. "It's good to see you. Sorry for being so distant, _I've_ had a lot on my mind lately."

"It's alright sir. May I know as to why you called me here?" Weiss asked.

"Well... As you know we've made progress on the southern and eastern fronts against Vale and Mistral. But recently, the sixth army was engaged by a small skirmish. Much to our dismay, this skirmish had hit the sixth army hard and they've suffered heavy losses. However, they were able to capture a few of Vale's Huntsmen. One being your old Friend." Ironwood then turned his attention to the holographic wall which popped up a video of Ruby looking pale and weak. Her hands and legs were chained to each other by metal shackles while she was kept within a holographic cage.

"Ruby!" Weiss cried. "What've you done to her?"

"Weiss, calm down. I've already given the order for her to be transported back to Atlas with a priority red status. She's safe for now."

"Thank you, General. But I don't think that's the reason you've called me here was it?"

"With you being a former student of Beacon Academy, we need your knowledge of all of your former schoolmates and friends you knew during your time there."

"Never in a million years. And by the way, she's still my friend and so is everyone else I know from beacon. I'm not about to just spill their secrets just so you could hurt them!" Weiss retaliated.

Ironwood kept silent and merely stared into Weiss's eyes for a moment before turning to one of his officers and nodding. Then, one by one on the holographic wall pictures and videos of Weiss's friends from Beacon popped up.

As more and more appeared, Weiss was horrified to see countless of her friends imprisoned and in chains. Some were even covered in blood, scars and wounds while others have been mutulated and had missing body parts.

"Rest assured, you will see them all again. I've ordered for every huntsman and huntress to be captured if possible and to be brought here." Ironwood took a few steps closer to Weiss.

"For what? To be tortured?"

"What? No of course not!" Ironwood defended "I'm bringing them here to keep them safe! At least until after the war."

"Still! They're my friends! What you did to them was cruel!"

"You _think_ you're the only one with friends? I too have lost many of _my_ friends to this war! A war your Principal started!" Ironwood snapped. Weiss took a step back in fear. "When Ozpin sacrificed those people, we all saw his dark side. We saw to what extent he was willing to go to win. If Ozpin has no limits, then neither must we."

Weiss felt hurt. Not just for Ironwood, but also for her friends, and everyone else that had lost someone because of Ozpin. But she knew that what Ironwood had done was wrong and that the war must cease before everyone dies.

"Your friends will arrive in the coming weeks. You'll get to see them. But as of today, you'll be suspended from any combat related activities. Guards, take Miss Schnee back to her father." Ironwood commanded.

Weiss now felt lost. She was happy that she could see her friends again, but would they be too? Ever since the war started three months ago, many of her friends were gone. With Weiss having played a part in a few of their deaths, her mind was then hurt from thinking about what her old team would say.

"Ruby, Yang, Blake. Please be alright." Weiss murmured below her breath. "Soon, it'll all be over. I hope."


	2. Chapter 2 - Qrow

"We have to go _now_!" Qrow slammed his fist onto the table in fury.

"No! We can't just leave Vale unprotected! If Vale falls, the entire kingdom will soon follow, and we'd _lose_." Goodwitch retorted.

"Who cares! Vale's just a base of operations and can be repositioned within days or weeks. But our Huntsmen and Huntresses take _years_ to train! We need to go back for them now! At least send me with a handful of troops to get them back! We'll be in and out in a blink of an eye."

A long silence was kept within the headmaster's office where Beacon's top Huntsmen and Huntresses had assembled to discuss their next course of action. Qrow, though half drunk, could see the fear on some of their faces. He thought of them as cowards. But they were not wrong to be afraid.

Within the first three months, Atlas has been the superior side in the war. Mistral's alliance with Menagerie has been rough as Faunus were still looked down upon by the masses. Vacuo may be more united than the other three kingdoms and a history of conflict has made them just as battle hardened as Atlas, but their land was not suited for a large scale conflict. As for Vale, they seem to be the only kingdom able to stand their ground against Atlas's forces. However, Atlas's advanced technology and greater military numbers were far more superior than the three kingdoms combined making any and all assaults on Atlas futile.

"The more we wait for Atlas to come to us, the more _we'll_ suffer! We have to go on some sort of offensive at least!" Qrow demanded.

"Have you forgotten, Qrow? We've already went on the offensive, and not just once. _All_ resulted in a defeat for our forces." Professor Port reminded. "I too want to save my students, but not everyone will survive this war."

"We have to consider ourselves fortunate that the Grimm have been eradicated ever since Salem's defeat. However, wild life and the elements still pose a threat to marching armies." Doctor Oobleck chipped in. "After examining every document I could get my hands on in Vale that had records of past battles and wars, I believe that the best course of action is a war of attrition. Solitas is a cold and desolate land. Though their military might surpasses our own, it is both large and costly. Without the influx of resources from the other three kingdoms, they would deplete their own dust and food reserves to supply their troops. Then, it will only be a matter of waiting for the right moment to attack."

Every moment Qrow wasted his time up here was a moment he could have used to save his niece and her friends. He grew tired of constant debating and decided that if anyone was going to save her and those who were captured, it was him. Qrow then turned to the elevator and began walking to it.

"Qrow! You know you'll not come out of this unscathed." Goodwitch said. "The new Atlesian Knights are stronger _and_ faster. Atlas's newest units, the Cataphracts has already decimated countless armies all over Remnant. You'd need help to sneak pass their defence system."

"I'll... figure something out. Oh, and if I see Ironwood, I'll send him your regards." Qrow retorted before descending down the elevator.

After preparing everything for the journey, Qrow boarded a transport ship in Beacon which would take him to the northern most part of what remained of Vale territory. However, before boarding he was met by a Jaune, Nora and Ren. Qrow could tell from the bags on their back that they were going somewhere.

"Qrow, you're not going in alone." Jaune said.

"Look, this is a suicide mission. I don't need you three on my conscience. I'm going alone." Crow stated before he boarded the ship.

What he did not expect was the three to jump in seconds after he boarded and now four of them are headed for the north of Vale. Qrow groaned and was about to yell at the pilot to fly back down but was was stopped by Nora.

"Look old man, we know that this is a suicide mission. But we also know that Ruby and Yang and everyone else need our help. We have just as much reasons to go on this quest as you do, and you can't stop us!"

Qrow clearly saw that they were going to rescue their friends regardless of his involvement. Reluctantly, Qrow layed back on his chair and shut his eyes.

"You've got guts kids. But don't expect me to guide you every step of the way. From here on, we're all on our own."

With that, Nora was joyous and squealed in excitement. Ren remained quiet as ever and merely smiled at Nora's reaction. Jaune however was distant and gazed outside the window as they ascended into the clouds.

Qrow's mind was filled with thoughts on how they would get to Ruby and Yang. He knew that they were at a disadvantage with their small number, but he did see the advantages of it. However, he knew that he was racing against time before his semblance turned against him.


	3. Chapter 3 - Ruby

As Ruby regained her consciousness and vision, she was shocked to see herself caged within a holographic cage. Her ears were still ringing from the acoustic grenade that had knocked her out. As it slowly faded away, Ruby scratched her head and her eyes darted left and right, scanning her environment. However, it was too dark for her see much. Her only light source was the blue glow that emanated from the holographic cage.

"W-what? Where _am_ I?" Ruby murmured. She then spotted an Atlesian Knight standing in front of her. Its emotionless and ever silent stare startled her. Before Ruby could ask another question, she was interrupted by a familiar voice that came from behind her.

"Ruby Rose." It was Winter. As the lights came on and Ruby's eyes fell onto the white haired women, she could tell that much had changed since their first meeting at Beacon. Winter now had shorter hair much like Nora's but with side swept bangs. She wore a white military overcoat with matching leggings and boots. Her eyes however still had the cold Schnee stare just like Weiss.

"Winter! Where _am_ I?" Ruby asked. "Where's, Yang? Where's everyone else?"

"I'm sorry that things have to be this way, Ruby. But rest assured, Ironwood has given specific instructions not to kill any and all Huntsmen and Huntresses, and to capture them if possible. So you and your friends are safe." Winter replied avoiding eye contact with Ruby. She instead had her eyes glued to her scroll in her hand.

When the ringing in Ruby's ears finally ceased, she could hear the faint but familiar sound of flight engines humming outside. This told her that they were in an aircraft.

"Then... where am I _going_?"

Winter took a deep breath. She finally shifted her gaze to Ruby and frowned.

"To a safe house."

"Something tells me that this safe house isn't exactly safe for us." Ruby replied bitterly. "We're at _war_ , Winter. You don't just keep prisoners for no reason. _Especially_ , Atlas."

Winter visibly recoiled after hearing Ruby's words. Her head tilted sideways and her eyes squinted as if curious as to what Ruby had said.

"I've read the archives. During the First Great War, Mantle's science divison was responsible for the genocide of thousands of Faunus and Huntsmen. They experimented with ways to harness the Faunus' abilities and how to suppress our aura and semblance. Some experiments even involved attempts at separating aura _from_ semblance. From what I see, I see history repeating itself."

Furrowing her brow whilst gritting her teeth, Winter turned away and walked to what Ruby presumed to be the cockpit. As silence crept back into the room and Ruby being left alone with the ever watchful Atlesian Knight, she fell back into a long and deep slumber.

Hours later, Ruby was awoken by the sudden kick of the Atlesian Knight against her cage. As her eyes shot open and landed onto the tall and bulky android outside, rage began to build within her as her hate for them grew.

Just then, the wall behind Ruby slowly fell open and a bright wave of light instantly blinded her. Suddenly, her cage started to hover above the ground and smoothly moved out of the transport ship. As Ruby's eyes adjusted to the environment, she was taken aback by her surroundings.

The first thing Ruby knew about her environment was that it was humid. As she slowly moved outside into a sandy clearing she could see that walled all around the clearing was a thick, green jungle.

When Ruby gazed to her right, she saw a row of ships of all shapes and sizes. Some were massive behemoths while others were less so. However, every single one had people and Faunus in chains walking out of them in long lines or being escorted out in holographic cages. Some of the cages were filled to the brim leaving little to no space for the people inside for mobility or comfort. Their whimpering cries were silenced by the Atlesian Knights and Atlas soldiers pummeling them to the ground.

Many of the prisoner were Faunus while some Ruby recognised as Huntsmen and Huntresses. But the bulk of the prisoners that were present were humans.

Ruby still wondered as to why Atlas was capturing Faunus and Huntsmen alive. She understood that they could be used for slave labor, but they would not risk capturing highly skilled fighters that could cause mayhem when gathered together in one place.

As Ruby followed the lines that stretched all the way to her left, her gaze caught sight of multiple mountains of weapons. More were added to the pile every minute by Atlesian Knights and human soldiers carrying boxes full of armaments and dumping them there. Ruby then realised that she had lost her scythe. But, she knew that it could wait as she had to look for Yang and the others.

When Ruby's gaze finally fell onto where the line of prisoners was headed to, she was again stunned by the sight of a massive facility. The building had smoke ascending from three chimneys in its roof. Guards stood at nearly every window, entrance and balcony. Its black colour scheme gave the building a dark demeanour.

Ruby's mind now raced with thoughts of what was happening inside. All sorts of dark thoughts of torture and agony crept deeper into her head. Ruby's knowledge of what Mantle had done during the First Great War only fueled her nightmares.

Once at the entrance, two human Guards inspected her and determined that it was safe for Ruby to be brought into the facility. As the door opened, she was injected with a syringe by one of the soldiers which then made her fall into another deep sleep. Moments before she passed out, she overheard the Guards chatting.

"Hey, did you hear? That Cinder girl that was responsible for the fall of Beacon, was recently captured by the tenth army in Mistral..."

"Cinder..." Ruby murmured before finally losing consciousness and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4 - Blake

After waiting for what seemed to be hours, Blake grew increasingly annoyed at Sun's delay. It was not the first time he was late for a war council, and Blake knew it would not be the last.

Once the monkey tailed Faunus arrived, he was given expressions of distaste by the many Generals and commanders that were present within the living room of the rebuilt Belladona home in Menagerie.

Giving a shy smile back, Sun immediately made his way through the sea of guests to take his position beside Blake.

"That'll be worth a _week_ of dish duty." Blake remarked.

"Sorry, _Captain Belladona_. I was busy with interrogative work." Sun replied.

"I hardly call drinking with the prisoners and sleeping in the next morning work."

"But you can't argue with the results."

"Now then, shall we get started?" Ghira announced. Everyone swiftly gathered around a holographic table in the middle.

Blake could sense the distrust between the humans and Faunus in the room. However, she also saw that they were willing to put their conflicts aside to win the war.

"What news from the mainland?" Ghira asked.

"Our spies within the other three kingdoms report that Mistral may be Atlas's main priority of conquest." A human general stepped forward and pulled up a holographic projection of a city. "According to their findings, six of their armies have already landed in Mistral and more will arrive to swarm us. We've only survived this long because of the terrain. If we are to stop their flow of troops, we must capture their only point of arrival, the city of Argus."

"But Atlas has been upgrading Argus's defenses since before the war even started." A Faunus captain came to the table and made adjustments to the city, adding cannons and turrets to almost every building and a massive wall around it. "As we speak Atlas has conquered most of Northern Mistral and are moving south with haste. If we attempt another assault on the northern front, we'll be pushed back even further. I say we focus on the western front. We may already be at a stalemate in the west with Vale, but _at least_ we have a better chance of victory against them than Atlas."

As the discussion on what to do went on, Blake was deep in thought on her friends. She missed her time with them in Beacon. Fond memories of their adventures flooded her mind. However, they quickly vanished when Sun placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Blake? You alright?" Sun asked.

"Y-yeah just, thinking." At the moment, Blake returned her focus to the meeting and noticed that while Atlas was swiftly moving southward with their air and ground forces, their naval fleet would take time to circumnavigate Anima's eastern most point. Blake was half way into piecing together a plan but was interrupted when a soldier came busrting through the doors.

"Generals! Raven Branwen has arrived." The soldier said. His pupils trembled as he panted heavily. His announcement shocked everyone. Blake, without a second thought, bolted out of the house. Sun followed suit and eventually so did everyone else.

While running, Blake drew her weapons in preparation for an attack. But when she saw Raven standing at the foot of the stairs, she came to a halt. Blake's eyes met Ravens and the two were off in a battle for dominance.

"Blake, we need to talk." Raven began.

"Just because we have the same enemy doesn't mean we're allies. You taught me that when we fought against Salem." Blake retorted.

"Atlas has Cinder. Is that enough for you to hear me out?" Indeed it was. When everyone else arrived and heard Raven, they too seemed intrigued. But Ghira was not taking any chances and ordered two of his Guards to restrain her.

This however only resulted in Raven pummeling the two Faunus to the ground. Their soft groans of agony were audible from the top of the stairs. Sun was about to pounce on her until Blake restrained him with her arm on his chest.

As hostilities died down, Raven entered the house with a hundred eyes locked onto her. Trying to resume the meeting with as little awkwardness as possible, Blake began the conversation.

"How do _you_ know about Cinder's whereabouts? She's been missing ever since Salem's defeat." Blake inquired.

"After the battle, I was suspicious of her and her two followers, Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai. While you and your comrades were celebrating your _victory_ , I followed them to Mistral, to an abandoned castle. When your soldiers were close, they'd move. For the four months that I watched them recover from their defeat, I saw the fear that had crept into their minds. Their endless quarreling about who was to blame, what to do next, why did what happen happened. The three were at their lowest point, divided, afraid and angry.

"Things got worse for them when the war began. Though they were no longer the top priority, of the four kingdoms, their choices on where to go grew smaller. Unfortunately for them, Atlas arrived in Mistral unexpectedly and swiftly moved southward. Too fast for them to escape. The three stood no chance against Atlas's new tanks and androids. I watched in delight as Mercury's legs were shot off and Emerald's eyes were blinded. But what happened to, Cinder brought me _so_ _much_ satisfaction." Raven grinned as she stared at the table. Her evil smile grew larger by the second. This made Blake curious, but she was also creeped out.

"So... what do you want?" Blake asked knowing that Raven would want something in return for this information. "Four months of spying must have a pretty big price tag."

"My _price_ is to allow my tribe to join the war effort."

"Preposterous!" Ghira scoffed. "We will never trust you or your people. Not after the battle of Haven! Your people are nothing but a bunch of thieves and raiders."

Though Blake agreed with her Father, she could not ignore the advantages that their troops would bring. Their knowledge of raiding and living in the forests of Anima would help with stealing supplies from Atlas and Raven's semblance would aid with troop movement.

Blake restrained her father with her arm and turned her focus onto Raven.

"What if we _do_ agree to pay your price? What do you gain and what if we decline your deal. You realise that if you fight in this war, your people will suffer." Blake wondered as to why Raven would join the war.

"As much as I'd like to sit back and watch, if Atlas conquers Anima, my tribe would be enslaved. That's something I won't allow my people to experience. And if you won't except my deal, I'll raid every military base of what remains of Mistral. I may even get on Ironwood's goodside and he'll spare us. But I have little confidence in that happening."

As chatter filled the room between the commanding officers, Blake thought about the deal with Raven. While she did have as much reason to fight, trusting her and her men was a problem.

Before Blake could finalise her decision with her Father, another messenger came bursting through the doors. Blake now grew annoyed at the interruptions and felt like punching him out the door.

"Haven has fallen!"


	5. Chapter 5 - Yang

As they hid themselves within the bushes on the sides of a dirt road under the cover of night, the small skirmish of warriors from Vale, led by Yang witnessed as massive, white tanks passed by. They hovered above the ground while their engines hummed endlessly. Marching beside them on foot in unison were the new Atlesian Knights while the human soldiers rode on white mechanical horses.

"Alright everyone, remember the plan." Yang turned to her comrades behind her. "After I fire off a flare attracting their attention, we'll begin the attack. While regiments Alpha and Charlie blind the head and tail of the marching column with smoke grenades then ambush them, we, regiment Bravo will hit the middle. Atlas'll have to split their forces to reinforce the front and back. When they've split we'll come in and trap them. I'll hit the front with my battalion while Ruby'll hit the tail with hers, boxing them in." Ruby and the rest of the soldier's and huntsman nodded in response, cautious to not make any sound that would give away their presence.

As the time to strike arrived, Yang fired off a flare round from her gauntlet up into the night sky signalling the other two teams to engage. As planned, the bright, red flare caught the attention of the Atlesian Knights and soldiers on the ground giving the other two teams the element of surprise.

This enabled regiments Alpha and Charlie to easily toss smoke grenades onto the dirt road and blind the column of Atlesian military personnel. They then silently engaged the battalion of androids, soldiers and tanks.

With the smoke covering their advance, regiments Alpha and Charlie were able to catch the Atlesian Knights and soldiers off guard. The sounds of metal clashing against metal, circuitry sparking, guns firing and soldiers screaming echoed throughout the night.

As the plan predicted, the Atlesians in the middle split to aid the head and tail of the column. Yang and Ruby sprung into action, leaping out of the bushes alongside their comrades, who were all in dark clothing to conceal themselves better, and boxed them in.

As Yang entered the battle, she spotted an Atlesian Knight running to the front of the column with its back facing her. Seeing the opportunity to take it down, Yang drew back her right arm as she ran. When she got close enough, she threw everything she had into the punch and grinned in anticipation of the result.

Out of nowhere, the Android dodged her punch and hit her in the head with its elbow, knocking her to the ground. It's metal elbow had hit Yang with so much force that it left her dazed. Upon looking up at the android's gun barrel inches from her forehead, she saw her life flash before her eyes.

But the flash came from a gun shot that knocked the android back. She turned to see who was her saviour and there stood Dove Bronzewing with his sword-pistol in his hands.

He winked in response which made Yang roll her eyes in annoyance. Suddenly, he was shot six times in his head till he dropped dead with multiple holes in his now exploded head. Yang was horrified by the sight of brain parts and skull fragments splattered everywhere and a few drops of blood on her face and quickly got back up to her feet.

As she gazed all around her she watched as her comrades were dying like flies. The ever thinning fog of war made the battlefield more visible as the battle progressed. Explosions left and right launched everyone up into the air only to land back down dead or severely injured. As dead bodies continued to pile on top of each other, they were used as cover.

Yang stood out in the open, rooted to the spot in fear. She was left trembling and paralysed by the sight of death all around her. It was her first battle as a commander. Yang thought she was prepared. She thought her plan would keep everyone around her alive. But she saw that she wasn't and that she had failed everyone.

As the fog of war lifted, she was on her knees with streams of tears flowing down her face. All around her was a reminder of the failure she was, both as a sister and as a commander. The rest of team CRDL rushed toward their friend Dove in desperation to save him only to share the same fate. Other teams tried to retreat whilst dragging wounded but were quickly taken out by the Atlesian military.

Yang lost all hope. She came to a realisation that Ruby was as good as dead.

When an Atlesian Knight stood in front of her with its cold, soulless stare from its visor, she could no longer bare the burden of her failure and accepted her death.

The Atlesian Knight placed the barrel of his rifle against her forehead. As Yang closed her eyes embracing death, an alarm sounded from the android and its eyes flashed red.

"Huntress detected." Its deep robotic voice was eerie. "Adhere to orders from General Ironwood. Obtain any and all Huntsmen and Huntress. Lethal force unauthorised."

Yang's eyes shot open and immediately got back up on her feet to run away only for the android to shoot her with a sleeping dart making her fall into a deep slumber.

"This is a dream. Its just a dream!" Yang thought. "A nightmare! When I wake up, I'll be at home. With Ruby, and dad!"

Yang was suddenly awoken by the sudden jolt of shock her body felt. Her eyes went wide from the pain and she screamed in agony. When the shock stopped, Yang's body ached all over.

"Where am I? What's happening?" Yang yelled.

She looked all round the room for the cause. When she could not find the source of the shock, she tried to move but quickly saw that she had been restrained by metal clamps on her left hand, elbow, both shoulders, neck, torso, thighs, shins and feet. Her only light source was a lamp right above her. No matter how much Yang struggled or how munch anger had built inside her, it was pointless. It was as if her semblance had been dampened by something.

As the memories of what had happened came flooding, she began to cry, saddened and disappointed. It was no dream. She did fail and many of her friends including her sister were dead.

" _Yang_ _Xiao_ _Long_." Hearing an unknown man's voice, Yang tried to look for him through her tear filled eyes.

"What! What do you want! I've already lost! Could you Atlesians be any colder?" A long silence was heard before the unknown man spoke again.

"Your semblance is... _intriguing_. Your anger and semblance work hand in hand like aura and semblance. But blind rage is too unpredictable in combat. Blind a soldier for a second in the battlefield and he's dead." The man revealed himself, walking out of the shadows to under the only light source.

As Yang's tears cleared up she studied the man's appearance. Black slicked back hair, white eyes, fair skin and a body reminiscent of Arthur Watts. The only thing missing was a moustache. Arthur's grey overcoat and yellow dress shirt were replaced with an unbottoned black trench coat over an untucked white shirt with no tie and black pants that stopped to his knees.

What got her attention were his white mechanical arms and legs that were unconcealed for all to see.

"Who are you?" Yang's voice trembled.

"You do realise we're at war, my dear. I cannot disclose that information. If you were to escape, I'd be a prime target and my secrecy would be compromised." Even the man's voice was similar to Arthur's which made Yang's blood boil even more. "But rest assured, your comrades... well... those that survived at least, are safe from harm. General Ironwood's given the order to capture all Huntsmen if possible."

"Captured for what?"

" _Again_ , I cannot _disclose_ that information. However, I _can_ tell you that your sister lives." This gave Yang hope knowing that Ruby was still alive. "Your _fate_ however, lies with _me_. And don't worry, experiments come _after_ torture, _and_ you won't be alone."

Suddenly, more lights came on enlightening the room. After Yang's eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, she watched as the wall opposite of her began turning around and revealing Mercury and Emerald who were also clamped to the wall.

Yang grew angry but her rage slowly died down as she continued to gaze at the two and was again horrified.

Both had been stripped to their undergarments and when Yang gazed at their feet, she was left breathless. Emerald's toe nails had been peeled off while her legs' skin had been flayed till the knee exposing the juicy, red and pink muscle underneath with small streams of blood continuing to pour out onto the ground. Since Mercury had no legs, his skin on his upper thighs were flayed to his hips, except for the part covered by his underwear.

When tears started to drip onto the floor, Yang looked up and saw that Emerald's eyes were snow-white, far from her crimson red ones. Yang quickly realised that Emerald was now blind but tears till flowed down her face. On the other hand, Mercury's ears were no where to be seen and were replaced by dark-red blood splattered all around his head.

When Yang looked back at the man, he was seen taking out a knife from his back pocket.

"Now, _where is Ozpin?_ "


	6. Chapter 6 - Fort Varyon

"So, Qrow where _exactly_ are we going?" Jaune asked.

"Fort Varyon, Vale's northern most military base as of now. Before venturing into Atlas territory, we have to gain the permission of its Commander." Qrow replied simply. "Because of the war, anyone caught heading into enemy territory is considered a spy or a traitor and vice versa to anyone coming in from the other three kingdoms."

"What if we're denied?" Ren questioned.

"Don't worry, I know the Commander. He and I go way back, to the time when we were in Beacon. When you first meet him, he may look and _feel_ suspicious at first, but he's got his mind straighter than anyone in Remnant."

After a few days of flying and landing to refuel the ship, the four finally arrived at Fort Varyon. From the aerial view they could see a massive stone castle fortified with cannons atop each tower and guarded with soldiers on the walls and balconies. Around the grounds of the castle were crates, barricades of wood, stone and metal, mounted machine guns with Huntsmen and soldiers on patrol. On the north, west and eastern sides of the castle was a vast, lush green forests that stretched as far as the eye could see.

However, something seemed wrong to Qrow. Faintly off in the mountains north of them, he could see through the window a thick fog slowly inching closer toward the fort. He at first thought that Atlas could be setting the forest on fire, clearing a path for their tanks. While the northern forests were the only thing protecting the fort against Atlas's tanks from coming close, he knew that they wouldn't risk losing air superiority in exchange for ground forces.

Qrow also knew that most of the forts and castles in Vale were not equipped to deal with air threats as most Grimm came from the ground. But he also noted that Atlas had not progressed as fast as they should have with their high and mighty sky fleet. Was it because of the terrain or as Oobleck pointed out, resources? Despite it being a major concern for him, he chose to focus on the task at hand of saving his nieces. But he still kept a close eye on the problem.

After landing, Qrow paid the pilot double the original price for his service.

"Wait, why?" The pilot asked.

"Compensation. Sorry for that by the way." Qrow replied just as the ship's engines broke down.

Before the four could enter the castle, they were approached by the Huntsmen and soldiers that were stationed in Fort Varyon who asked for their identification. Once the soldiers had confirmation of their identities, the four were escorted into the castle. Despiten being at war, most of the men and women held high spirits. Most likely because of the fact that Fort Varyon has never fallen since its construction during the first Great War. Qrow kept a low profile and locked his eyes to the ground until they reached their destination.

"Here we are, sir." The Huntsman Who escorted them said before pushing open the wooden door leading to the commander's office.

When all four had stepped into the room, Qrow turned to the Huntsman, "Thanks, that'll be all."

Once the door was shut and Qrow locked it, a dead silence fell onto the dark room. A single candle flame sat idly atop the table before them giving just enough light to see what was around them.

As Qrow looked around, he could faintly see bookshelves at every wall but the weird thing was that there were no books on them. They were instead scattered all over the floor. Some in stacks while others piled over each other forming pyramids. Numerous manuscripts along with torn pages carpeted the stone floor like a thin layer of grass. Books and papers could also be found atop the table. But the chair behind it caught his attention. A tall shadowy figure sat quietly at the desk. His blue glowing eyes seemed fixated at Qrow, never landing its gaze onto the three younger Huntsmen.

"Its good to see you again, Storm. I see that you've been, _reading_." Qrow then took out his flask and began drinking catching the three other Huntsmen off guard. "Listen, we need to head north to save a few Huntsmen that'd been captured. So if you'll just sign the papers or whatever you do and we'll be on our way."

The commander kept silent and slid a folder across the table toward the four. Qrow raised his left eye brow. Putting away his flask and picking up and opening the folder, his eye squinted at the contents within.

The folder contained images of countless people in chains and in long lines. Some were Faunus while others looked to be Huntsmen. The images seemed to be captured from within a thick vegetation as evident of the leaves on the edges of the photographs. As Qrow turned to more and more pictures, he became interested in one that showed a massive black building heavily guarded by Atlesian Knights and soldiers.

Still filled with questions, Qrow read the reports that were written in hopes to find answers. Fortunately, he did.

"They're in Vytal?" Qrow was dumbfounded. "Do I _want_ to know how you got this information?"

"He got it from me." Then, Adam Taurus stepped out from the shadows behind Storm revealing himself, still donning his mask with his sword at his hip.

His presence made Jaune, Ren and Nora on the edge as they pointed their weapons at the Faunus. Adam however, was unfazed by their reaction. Qrow kept his cool and placed the folder onto the table.

"Why?" Qrow asked Adam.

"Atlas's conquest has affected more than just the three kingdoms." Adam shared as he lit the torches all around the room with the candle. "The Branwen tribe has less than one fifth of their people left. Atlas has crushed every and all White Fang resistance leaving nothing but lost remnants. The way I see it, you can't face Atlas alone."

Once the room was lit, everyone could clearly see Storm's appearance. White, spiky hair that was a little like Neptune's, tanned skin and a lean body. He donned a black shirt with rolled up sleeves and stain patches while his hands wore black finger-less gloves.

"What allies are you talking about? _Everyone_ has chosen a side." Qrow stated.

" _That's_ the problem." Adam returned to his position behind Commander Storm. "We have to ally with the forces that currently exist. And I understand that this _task_ is easier said than done."

As the three young Huntsmen lowered their weapons, Qrow stepped closer to Storm and looked down at him. Despite knowing Storm for years, Qrow was still surprised by his choice to trust Adam. But it was not the first time he allied with an enemy and Qrow was confident it would not be the last. The surprising thing however, was always which enemies Storm chose to trust. Each was unique but all shared something similar, their trust in Storm was unwavering.

"Vacuo's forces have landed in the western coast and have conquered a small part of western Vale. Though Atlas's Military is strong, they are intelligent enough not to risk engaging two armies on either flank. Also, Vacuo's forces are held up by the mountains, so it'll take them time before they reach us." Adam informed. "If we are to rescue your Huntsmen, we-"

The ground shook following a faint explosion everyone heard outside. Everyone balanced themselves as they then heard another explosion, louder than the first. Dust and small rocks rained down from the ceiling while the stacked books toppled over.

Qrow was on edge. It would not make sense if Atlas was here with their fleet. Neither would Vacuo as they did not have any cannons or airships powerful enough to make an explosion this big.

Deciding not to just stand around, Qrow bolted for the door followed by everyone else except for Storm. Once outside, Qrow was stunned by the sight of fireballs rising over the northern mountains, ascending up and above the northern fog. The bright, red and yellow light the fireballs emitted blinded everyone as they rained down onto the castle.

"Oh sh-"


	7. Chapter 7 - Arthur Watts

When Ruby awoke from her forced slumber, her tired, silver eyes found the green ones of a familiar looking man who sat across her. She could not identify who the man was as her vision was still hazy. Ruby was also unable to concentrate as hearing of Cinder's fate still lingered in her mind. Slowly pushing her legs out of the cold, hard bed wanting to take a seated position, Ruby then shook her head in hopes of clearing her mind and vision.

"I wondered when you would arrive." The moment his voice was heard, Ruby furrowed her brow as she began to regain her vision. "For your information, you've been asleep for ten hours since they brought you in here."

"Arthur Watts..." Ruby replied.

"I presume your sister is here as well. You two _are_ inseparable. But since she is presently absent, I deduce that she's been taken to a more, _solitary_ confinement."

"And I _presume_ Hazel and Tyrian shared the same fate." Ruby retorted. "I believe that brain of your has a plan of getting us out."

" _Firstly_ , you're mistaken that just because we have a common foe automatically makes us allies. Secondly, contrary to popular belief I do not have a plan to escape this cursed prison." Ruby was genuinely surprised by Arthur's statement.

Though Ruby knew little about Arthur, she always saw him as the brains within Salem's council. While the crazed Tyrian was out killing high profiled targets and Hazel being the quiet brute, Arthur was the man behind the scenes and took the subtle route to things.

Though the cell had only two people inside it, Ruby felt cramped. The walls were a dull, gray metal with no windows. The hard beds were mere boards that were connected to the walls by two chains at the two corners that faced into the room. The only light source within the cell was a single lamp on the center of the ceiling. Wanting her eyes to view something different, Ruby got up and went to the cell door. Seeing as the iron bars had gaps between them, Ruby thought that she could squeeze through them with her speed with ease.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. The building's built with semblance dampeners making any and all semblances useless." Ruby watched as Arthur stroked his mustache while his eyes were locked to the floor. It was as if he was sad, disappointed, lost even. "I'm still stunned by how the Atlesian scientists were able to make them without _my_ knowledge."

Ruby was upset by what Arthur said. She then turned her gaze to the world outside the cell. From the limited view, she could see that there were many other cells filled with people and Faunus of all sorts. The cells endlessly stretched to both sides of the building. A massive gap between Ruby and the cell across her were connected by bridges patrolled by a mix of Atlesian Knights and soldiers.

"Atlas's gonna win." Ruby murmured in sadness as she accepted defeat.

"Though that _is_ the most probable end result based on fact, I see possibility as always being a fifty percent chance. No matter how grim the situation may be." Arthur's words intrigued Ruby. He was not wrong. Based on facts, Atlas would probably win. But on chance, there is a chance they might lose. At the moment, the fact that the three other kingdoms are still fighting against each other further increases the most probable outcome of the war.

" _Then_ , what's our trump card? If chances are always fifty percent then what's the chance that we have?" Ruby asked.

"Again, we are not allies therefore there is no 'our'. As for the secret weapon, it would have been Ozpin or Salem. But since they are gone, the only probable ones left are the Maidens."

"I overheard the guards saying that Cinder's been captured by Atlas. Raven's probably with her tribe somewhere in Mistral. Winter and Summer are the only ones left. But no one knows where they are."

"But, none of that matters now. This facility is guarded head to toe by Atlesian Knights and soldiers twenty-four hours a day, seven day a week. They've already made this place invisible to the world, breaking out would be just as probable as Atlas losing the war." Arthur stated.

"But we still have a _fifty_ percent chance of doing so." Ruby remarked. "Those odds are good enough for me."


	8. Chapter 8 - New Faces

Was it a dream? More like a nightmare. A blessing or an evil curse? Why did it matter. Weiss knew she could not change the past. The future however was more clouded than ever.

Being locked within her room like the princesses in the fairy tails drove Weiss crazy. It was bad enough that she was stripped of Myrtenaster, but being isolated and forbidden from practicing her semblance was agonizingly boring.

It has been a week or two since she was imprisoned within her home and time could not have moved faster for Weiss. She tried to occupy her time with reading, singing, watching television but non were as entertaining as she had thought. That was until her door swung open and standing right before her was a face she had never thought of or wanted to see again since the Schnee after party.

"Henry Marigold? What're you doing here? Guards!" Weiss exclaimed. She was already agitated, seeing Henry's face again made her blood boil.

"I _apologize_ for my behavior during our first encounter. But believe me when I say that I've changed for the better." Weiss was speculative of him. Though Henry had changed physically, his hair was combed back, he donned white, Atlesian military uniform over a more muscular build, his attitude and personality were to be decided again. However, she did notice a drop in his tone. As if the life has been sucked out of him and all that was left was an emotionless man.

Weiss thought about the reason behind his visit. Despite being confined within her room, she would receive visits from Winter and General Ironwood. Winter only visited twice while Ironwood came every other day to question her. When Weiss noticed that he had not visited in the past five days, she knew something was wrong. She thought Henry might be Ironwood's replacement while the general was off to fight the war? But why Henry? What qualities does he have that would aid Atlas's already powerful army?

"Why have you come here?"

"I've been ordered by Ironwood to escort you out of your home and onto the transport that's waiting outside. I'm afraid that that's all I've been permitted to tell you." Henry then stepped aside and held his hand out toward the door with his eyes gazing at the ground, gesturing for Weiss to exit first. This caught her off guard. It _really_ was a massive change from when they first met. Henry's tone seemed lower and the way he acted was far from his old self.

Without uttering another word, Weiss walked out of her room with Henry following closely behind. Upon taking her first steps outside in what seemed like forever, she was met with Whitley's smirk. Though Weiss was not surprised, she could imagine the amount of satisfaction he had when he heard she was being confined in her room. Weiss had a million insults she wanted to say, but she only gave him a glare with Whitley doing the same.

Once out of the house, Weiss heaved a sigh of relief and boarded the ship with Henry. While in the air, Weiss watched through the window as her home got further and further away. When she turned her gaze to Henry, his eyes shifted its focus to the ground.

"Why the military?" Weiss asked.

"Why Beacon? Why not Shade or Haven or Atlas? Maybe I chose to join the military because I wanted to. Or maybe I was forced to. Does it matter?" Weiss noticed his eyes shook as he said those words. Henry's voice audibly trembled giving Weiss the last clue. She had seen the same signs before when Ozpin died and everyone mourned.

"Who?" Weiss asked as she watched Henry took a deep breath and wiped away what would have been tears in his eyes. But he said nothing and continued to gaze outside the window. "I'm... sorry for your lost."

"It's fine."Henry sniffed. "I just want to finish this assignment."

Two hours later, the two reached one of Atlas's southern military bases. As the doors slid open, Weiss stepped out and shielded her eyes from the glaring sun. But it was not the sun, but a light from a watch tower. Once it went away, Weiss was able to get a good look of her surroundings.

Weiss stood in the middle of a landing pad of metal with the only ship present was the one she arrived in. The cold Solitas wind blew hard. Regiments of soldiers stood in formation, fully armed and battle ready. Atlesian Knights were collapsed and being loaded onto transport ships. White buildings flew Atlesian banners while their windows glowed from the light within.

After Henry dismounted the ship, he held Weiss's arm and brought her into one of the buildings and out of the cold. Once inside they came into a room full of officers. Everyone had their eye on her. Weiss tried to shrug off the feeling of being watched but failed. Suddenly, all eyes turned their gaze to the front.

"Attention!" One of the officers yelled. Then stepped out another officer. Unlike the others, he wore a white battle armor and cloak. He was lean and short which was not a common sight for a man in Atlas's military. One thing that Weiss noticed was that he held a striking resemblance to Ironwood.

"Who's that?" Weiss asked.

"That's, Jack Ironwood. He's the General's younger brother." Henry replied leaving Weiss overwhelmed.

"At ease. Reminder that Operation Avalanche is four months away. I expect everything to be ready two weeks before. Secondly, though Haven's been captured, Vale and Shade remain. I'll be leaving for the western front in the morning. In my absence, Captain Colt's commander of the base. That is all. Dismissed."

As everyone began to exit the room, Henry brought Weiss to the Commander. Though he was short, he was still taller than her.

"Greetings, Miss Schnee. I apologies if your transportation was.. sudden." Jack's stern face was now smiling with content.

"Can we get to the point, Commander?" Weiss spat.

"Of course. The General apologizes for not being in Atlas but requested that you be sent to your friends. He felt that you've suffered enough in isolation in your home and decided that you deserved to see them again. You'll be escorted by Corporal Marigold. I wish you a safe journey." Weiss noted that the Commander was cautious not to reveal the location of her friends or the General's. She knew that if she asked she would not get her answer. So she remained silent.

Weiss and Henry were once again in a ship and this time, the windows were shut. Before she could ask why, she was injected with some sort of tranquilizer making her sleepy. As Weiss dozed off, she overheard Henry.

"I'm sorry Weiss, General's orders..."


	9. Chapter 9 - Battle of Hunter Hill

As the cannons fired upon Hunter Hill, Blake remained unfazed. The deafening firing of shells did not made her flinch, nor did the their impacts that shook the earth made her stumble. Blake stood silently at the watchtower of the base. She gazed endlessly at the fort over the hill as her memories of her past days with her teammates flashed into her mind.

"They're ready." Sun informed leaning against the wooden frame. Catching one final glance at the fortified hill, Blake then turned and climbed down the tower with Sun close behind. The two made their way to the assembly area and picked up their weapons as they passed the armory. Once there, Blake gazed upon the battalion of soldiers standing at attention. A force comprised of both human and faunus.

Upon hearing of Haven's downfall, everyone was rooted to the spot in shock. Blake's jaw dropped and for a minute she was left brain dead, not knowing what to do. Her father was as rash as ever and ordered a counter attack on the northern front. In five days Menagerie was emptied of all military personnel. Five days after landing in mainland Mistral almost all forces were sent to Haven.

But like every war, complications arise. The force of twelve-thousand that had arrived from Menagerie and the other southern islands was split into five. Blake was with a regiment of two-thousand that was sent to take the eastern most port that was closes to Haven, to secure the right flank and a supply route to the bases in the eastern peninsula. She had not experienced a war before. It was nothing compared to when the Faunus came to haven to fight the White Fang. In war anything was possible, and Blake saw it as the most frighting thing in the world.

"What's the situation now?" Blake asked. Her gaze still fixed on the battalion.

"We were lucky that we found the cannons in that abandoned warehouse on the way over here. But at this rate, the cannons may run out of energy before the shields break. The artillery commander suggested that we could spare the remaining energy by setting off an explosion near the shield since they're already weakened... but," Sun informed.

"But?"

" _But,_ the hill's too steep to climb. The only route that's possible to get us close enough is through the wooden bridge that connects a small but deep gap leading to the fort's entrance. But even _it's_ been destroyed preventing anyone from leaving or entering. Not to mention that there is literally _nothing_ between us and the fort. We'll be spotted the moment we try to get close."

"If the shields are weak it won't have to be a _big_ explosion right? A bag full of grenades _would_ suffice." Blake thought deeply about a solution. "We could have the cannons fire smoke rounds around the fort blinding them. We have to make sure the smoke's spread evenly so as to not give them clues as to where we would be coming from. Also it'll have to be a single barrage, if we do more, they'll know that we're trying to get close. Once the smoke cover is formed, we have to rush across the open field and use your semblance to cross the bridge. Once we do we'll probably have a few seconds to deploy the bag of grenades before the smoke disperses and we'll be out in the open."

"So once the shields are down, it'll signal the cannons to use whatever energy they have left and rain hell down on the fort. Then our troops will sweep in and take out the already weakened Atlesians by using the grappling guns since they could now get close enough to the fort. Right?" Sun followed up which made Blake smile at his quirkiness.

Now with a plan, Blake went to get a bag full of grenades while Sun went to the artillery commander to inform him of the plan. When everything was set, Blake and Sun stood ready at the entrance of their fort. As the artillery commander signaled for the operation to start, the pair, they heard the firing of the smoke rounds. The two darted out of the base and out into the open grasslands between the Atlesian fort and theirs. Upon impact, a massive wall of smoke engulfed the hill's surroundings signalling Blake ad Sun to quicken their pace. They had to be cautious to avoid any craters created by the cannons. Though Faunus had night vision, it was not suited to see things through smoke.

Getting across the broken bridge was easy. Sun's clones gave them a boost to leap across the ten meter gap from the base of the stairs to the nearest part of the bridge above that had not been destroyed. Once they were close enough and the smoke was starting to disperse, Blake pulled the pin on a few grenades and tossed the bag toward the shield. Sun used his clones again but this time, they seemed weaker and less stable.

Blake realized in mid air that using Sun's semblance back to back with little break was too taxing for him. Once she barely made it across, climbing over the broken base, she turned back and swiftly grabbed onto Sun's arm as he plummeted down. Blake tried her best not to let go. But Sun was heavy and she could barely maintain her grip.

"Come on, Sun!" Taking another look, Blake saw that Sun was out cold. As time grew short, she took out her gun and managed to wrap its ribbon around his arm. Blake then aimed her gun at the ground below, careful not to aim at Sun's feet, and fired, allowing the gun's recoil to carry him while her other arm helped to pull him up onto the wooden base. Finally, they were safe.

Just then, an explosion occurred which blinded Blake and left her dazed with ringing in her ears. Once they had passed, Blake tried to get to her feet but felt a sudden pain in her abdomen. Looking down she saw a piece of wood with spiked ends that had been pierced into her. Blood was already oozing out of her wound and Blake began to feel light headed. Soon after pulling the wood out, she too was out cold. Her last images were that of her soldiers rushing toward her and shooting at the fort above the hill.

Upon coming to, Blake found herself resting upon a soft bed within a dimly lit tent. She wondered as to where she was. But it was soon replaced by the thought of the result of the battle. Did they win or were they defeated? Was Hunter Hill still standing or was it now a pile of rubble?

Blake then felt a strong hand grip her left shoulder to which she reacted to by smacking it away.

"Hey, calm down. It just me." Sun stood behind Blake with a massive smile on his face. The bandage around his head however was hard to miss and memories of what happened quickly returned.

Looking around the tent, Blake could see multiple other wounded humans and Faunus on beds. Some were covered in blood-stained bandages while others were being blanketed under white sheets.

"If your smile and the fact that Faunus are still walking is anything to go by, I assume we won?"

"Hell yeah we won! The Atlesians never saw it coming. You should've seen it! Our troops stormed the base like there was no tomorrow. Yelling their battle cry as they scaled the hill and flooded the base." Sun jumped with joy whilst punching his fists up toward the ceiling.

Blake's smile quickly disappeared as she turned her attention to the war at large.

"Hunter Hill's a small bump in vast field of grass. Though we have regained supply routes to the western peninsula, northern Mistral remains under Atlesian control. Until we take it all back, Mistral will suffer."

"I've been wondering. What started this war? And why did we join?" Blake was at a lost after hearing what Sun just said. "I know why we fight now but... why _did_ it start in the first place? Why did we fight then? Was there a disagreement or did someone make a mistake?"

Blake was caught off guard. She did not have an answer. It was now the biggest question she had. One Blake once thought she had the answer. Why did the war start? What were they fighting for? If she did not have the answer, everyone else may not as well.


	10. Chapter 10 - The Doctor

"Ah!" Yang screamed as she felt a sudden jolt of pain in her head from the shock crown. When the surge stopped, she was left exhausted and could barely keep her eyes open. However, her hazy vision noticed an obscured figure moving toward her. The color of his clothing was enough to give her a hint as to who it was. "Ozpin's... dead..."

"You know it didn't have to be this way if you'd just answer my question the first time. With the right answer." Once Yang's vision returned, she could see clearly that she had been transported to another room. This time, it was bigger.

Pipes and wiring lined the walls. Cylinders of yellow liquid were scattered all around the room and were stored with people and Faunus wearing masks. The aquatic Faunus were kept in aqua colored water tanks. Men and women in white, lab coats roamed around the room with tablets in their hands with some donning headsets. The walls themselves were a brown and green metal with holes that exposed the wiring and piping within. Everything looked wet and water was dripping from the ceiling.

Yang's first thought was that she was in a ship. It then changed to a sewer. But it did not matter. If she could not get out, knowing where to go was pointless.

"This war has already broken people, torn apart bonds, ended dreams. If you'd just give me what I want, you and your sister don't need to join them. Are you _really_ willing to die for Ozpin? After what _he_ did?" The man asked.

Yang wanted to correct the man. She did not fight for Ozpin, nor was she willing to die for him after what he did. But when she wanted to conjure up a reason for fighting, she was lost. Why and what was she fighting for? Yang had even forgotten about Ozpin's actions that made everyone turn against him.

"Do _you_?" Yang asked to which the still unknown man closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Your rather low interrogative skills are surprising. Even when I have you locked up, I would _never_ do something as _idiotic_ as reveal any information." He then turned his gaze back to Yang. "Information is the _single_ most important thing in war. Without it, troops march blindly into hell, weapons kill their own users, countries die from starvation of information. Information _is_ power, and you are powerless."

"But too much power will overload the system and the computer will explode, destroying itself." Yang then spat at his face.

Wiping the gob of spit off of his face, the man took out his knife and walked closer to Yang. He then removed Yang's boots and grinned as he gazed upon her feet. "Pain will always be the strongest way to send information. I'll make sure you learn that by the end of this war." He abruptly shoved his knife deep into the gap between the nail and toe of Yang's left big toe and began to push harder and cut away the tissue connecting the nail and her toe.

"Ah! Please! Please stop! Ah!"Yang screamed in agony once again. The pain it was causing her was unimaginable. Yang could hear and feel her flesh being ripped off. Her screams of pain sky rocketed the moment her nail was completely off. She looked down and saw a blur of red all over her foot. When Yang looked up she saw a hammer being pullet out. "What... is..."

"Close your eyes dear. You may not want to see this part." Out of nowhere, Yang felt another excruciating pain in her foot. The hammer had crushed the bones within her left big toe. Tears flowed down her face as her deafening screams filled the room once more.

Upon running out of energy and on the verge of passing out, Yang could faintly hear the man speak with a woman.

"How long before we can begin the project?" He asked.

"Uncertain sir. Finding candidates for project Silver Soldier has proven difficult with the scarcity of information we have on them, not to mention the limited number of choices available. We've only been able to find one, Ruby Rose. But we recently found two more from Mistral and Vacuo. They'll be arriving by the end of the week. Will that be all, Doctor Volt?"


	11. Chapter 11 - Survival

"Come on! We have to find shelter!" Qrow exclaimed whilst carrying an unconscious Jaune over his shoulder. The three ran as fast and as long as they could into the woods. The explosions from the endless rain of missiles roared behind them. Blazing fires were scattered everywhere and smoke was beginning to fog the forest.

The Atlesian air fleet took them by surprise. Qrow blamed himself for not spotting the clues that led to the threat. The smoke he saw approaching from the north shielded the ships from all eyes. When the Atlesians were close enough, they fired their missiles to destroy Fort Varyon.

The fate of Adam and Storm remained a mystery as the missiles had thrown everybody off of their feet. Qrow saw that Adam was trying to cut the missiles before they impacted with his sword and make time for everyone to escape. As for Storm, Qrow had no clue as to his fate.

Once they found a cave, the three took a moment to rest after surviving the deadly attack. Qrow placed Jaune against the cave wall to allow Ren to care for him. Nora was on the opposite side, panting heavily. Qrow himself was out of breath after living through the attack and was still surprised that he was still standing. His hand shook when he looked at them.

As the sound of explosions were heard in the distance, Qrow decided to leave the cave to scout the area. He wanted to survey the area so as to get a better hold of things. Without hesitation, he leaped off the ground and turned into a crow and flew off into the gray sky.

Upon breaching through the clouds, he was met with the massive hull of a ship that was inches from his face. Gazing around, Qrow saw that there were over fifty frigates soaring above the clouds in formation. His eyes then caught the bulky build of a humongous ship, presumably the Atlesian Flagship, The Hyperborean. At that moment, Qrow knew that Ironwood was inside it.

Flying through the sky full of ships, barely avoiding their engines and wings, Qrow was able to infiltrate the Hyperborean through its vents. Once inside, he navigated his way through to the bridge. Qrow gazed around to find Ironwood but he was absent. Instead, he focused on the screens that were facing him.

From what he could piece together from what had happened and what he currently saw, Atlas had gained ground in Vale and Mistral. Vacuo seemed to be holding strong. Their desserts remained unconquered while their greener lands were under Atlas's control. Now Atlas had an influx of resources from the conquered lands ruling out Oobleck's suggestion of a war of attrition. Qrow felt that guerrilla was the only tactic. But was there any other way?

Then, Ironwood's voice boomed as he walked into the room. Everyone's head snapped to his direction as he furiously stomped down a glass and metal walkway.

"Operation Avalanche begins in four months and you tell me that the Eastern Front is falling?" Ironwood's rage echoed throughout the room.

"General, we've already sent six armies to Mistral. That's _two sevenths_ of our forces. If we divert the rest of our reserve to the Eastern Front, we'd have no support left for our southern and western forces." An officer behind him informed.

"Divert the fourth fleet east. As soon as we take Vale, we head west and the sixth fleet will take our position." Ironwood ordered.

"But Commander Jack's already on course to Vacuo, Sir. Wouldn't it be better if _we_ head east?"

"Are you questioning my authority, Lieutenant?" Ironwood stomped toward the officer and looked down on him with eyes that burned with rage. A moment of silence was heard within the room.

"No sir."

After that, everyone carried on with their duties as if nothing had happened. Qrow saw the fear in the officer's eyes when Ironwood stared him down and when he walked away, he visibly shivered. Qrow always thought that Atlas was a well oiled machine. Their success in the war was evident of this. Though Qrow never had a liking for them, he could not deny their might.

Thinking he had seen and heard enough, Qrow got out and flew back to the group. When he was out of the ship, he saw that much time had passed. It was morning when they arrived at Fort Varyon. The skies that were blue then were now a dim orange.

When he returned to the group, he saw that they were not alone. Alongside the three were other surviving soldiers from the fort. What was surprising was that Adam stood with them. But as Qrow got a closer look, he could see that the left side of his face had been scarred and burnt. It was now a mess of black, burnt flesh.

"How many survived?" Qrow asked.

"Unknown. But we have a more pressing matter at hand." Qrow folded his arms in curiosity. "We're on the northern side of Vale, deep in Atlesian territory. If we're to survive, we need to move north. South is not an option as most of the Atlesian military would be there. If we head north, we'll be faced with little resistance as Atlas would have to focus most of their troops on the fronts. Hopefully, we'll find a ship in a supply base and fly back to Vale undetected."

"I don't even need to ask about Storm do I?"

"He won the battle of Iron Falls didn't he? What can't he survive?"

Following Adam's plan, the small group of soldiers and Huntsmen rested for the night. In the morning, they would make the journey north.

When Qrow returned from a second scout of the area, he saw that Adam was not resting but was taking the first watch. Seeing as he too could not sleep, Qrow took a seat beside him.

"Most of us we'll be gone by the time this war ends. No more four kingdoms, the Academies would be disbanded and the Huntsmen will be lost to legend." Adam said.

"But the future generations will have a lesson to learn from all this. How war is not the way to decide, protect or earn." Taking another sip of his flask, Qrow started to feel weary from the day's events. "As long as there's people alive to tell about it, its good enough for me. I've always tried to protect and save as many lives as I could in exchange for the lives of a few. That's been my code."

" _I've_ always tried to protect and save lives by eliminating the threat. But if this war is gonna make me kill more than I save, I guess its time I change. That was what Storm told me. But tell me, what are _you_ fighting for? You said that war was not the way to protect or earn or decide. What about you? Are you fighting to protect, earn or decide?"

"Survival. The only reward war gives to those who see the end of it."


	12. Chapter 12 - No Pain No Gain

As hours began to feel like days and days felt like months, Ruby never thought that life in prison could get any more dull than it already was. It was bad enough that she was locked in the same room as an enemy. The bad food and the fact that they were confined within the cell at all times was torturing Ruby's energetic personality.

A few days ago, every human that were not huntsmen were brought out of the prison. Ruby was filled with questions, but she had a few ideas about where they ended up. Based on her studies on the First Great War, the Atlesians may have sent the people to labor camps to work till they dropped dead. However, it was unlike Ironwood to do something as cruel as that. Ruby knew that even the General was more conscious about committing war crimes.

Once the last of the prisoners were escorted out, Ruby spotted across her in a different cell, Tyrian. At first, Ruby had a box full of insults in her arsenal to throw at him. But she then noticed that he was acting rather odd, more so than his usual self. Tyrian was curled up into a ball within his cell and rocked back and forth with his head tucked between his knees. He seemed to be murmuring something but Ruby was too far to hear. Whatever he was murmuring must have been annoying as the guards that passed his cell knocked against his cell door and yelled at him to stay quiet.

Examining Tyrian closely to discover the reason for his unusual behavior, Ruby noticed that both his hands were finger-less, nothing left but round pads at the of his arms that had stitches. Tyrian was also missing his ears which might explain why he did not adhere to the guards' yells. But what caught Ruby's attention was his missing tail.

"Honestly, I'm glad they found a way to shut him up. But, breaking his mind _was_ a little excessive." Arthur stroked his mustache whilst reading his book. "If Hazel suffered the same fate as him, or worse, the probability of our escape has lowered greatly."

"The loss of people has also taken away our numerical advantage." Ruby paced back and forth. She had been trying to formulate an idea to escape ever since she awoke. But the more she thought, the more she felt that escape was not an option.

First thing to do was to get out of the cell. Second was to shut off the semblance dampeners. But without knowledge of its position or how it looked like, it was a dead end. The guards were nothing special. Its just that half of them were literally walking armor while the other half had weapons capable of eviscerating anything with a single shot. Ruby was sure of one thing though, as long as that dampener was still running, escape was impossible.

Ruby was then surprised when she suddenly heard screams. Gazing at where she thought it came from, she saw four soldiers carrying a stretcher with someone big resting atop it. As they got closer, Ruby was able to see the person's face and recognized him as, Hazel. Ruby's first thought was that it was unusual to see the brute crying, but his missing arms were obvious for the reason behind it. Remembering what Hazel's semblance was, Ruby was given an answer for his tears.

As the guards brought Hazel into Tyrian's cell, his cries were muffled by the concrete walls. When they left, silence returned to the prison.

"Prisoners of war sent into labor camps. Warriors tortured till breaking point for bits and pieces of information. If I live to see the end of this war, I'm glad to have had no part in it." Arthur stood up from his bed and walked to the cell door where Ruby stood. "But if I don't, I'd still die in peace. I have no reason to fight this war. But you, _Ruby Rose_ have more than one reason to see the end of it. And so do those who care for you. If anyone in your web of companions die, the entire web will trap the aggressor and the war will continue till everyone's dead."

"Can you _please_ stop being so cryptic? You sound like Agent Washington from the show Red vs Blue." Ruby retorted. "Anyway, I don't know why I haven't asked you this yet. Why _wouldn't_ the Atlesian scientists been able to make the dampeners without your knowledge?"

"We ran into numerous problems just with the power. The damn things consumed enough electricity in a second to power ten sky frigates for a year. Their size and weight made it impossible to move them even with Atlas's most powerful ships. Even the materials needed to make them were rare." Arthur returned to his bed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "But it doesn't matter. Escape is impossible. You've been thinking about the security within but forgot about the battalion of soldiers _right outside the door_."

Finally getting an idea, Ruby began kicking and punching Arthur to the floor. She hoped for a guard to pass by and come inside the cell to tend to Arthur. The more she hit Arthur, the more he pleaded for Ruby to stop. Inevitably, a guard came and alerted his comrades before shooting Ruby with a taser. Ruby dropped to the ground from the taser as guards rushed into the cell. While two were on the other side of the room attending to Arthur, Ruby's taser was taken off. Though she was in pain and had a gun barrel on her head, Ruby kept calm and waited till her strength came back.

Once it did, she waited for the guard on top of her to lose focus. When his comrades told him that they were almost finished, Ruby then sweep kicked him off of his feet. Swiftly picking up his gun and shooting him while he was still on the floor, Ruby then spun around and shot the other two soldiers near Arthur in the head. The rifle's recoil was surprisingly strong as it pushed Ruby back whenever she fired.

Hearing more guards on their way to the cell, Ruby grabbed a grenade from one of the dead corpses, pulled the pin and tossed it into the hallway outside the cell and took cover behind the wall beside the cell door. When the explosive went off, Ruby could hear the screams of a few men which told her that the path was clear. However, she had made such a commotion that the prison was now on high alert. Red lights flashed all around the prison while sirens wailed deafeningly. Leaning out of the cell door to take a peak at what was coming, Ruby saw eight guards coming on the left while six on the right.

"Bloody... hell girl! You're more blood thirsty than a Beowulf in a battle!" Arthur got up and wiped the dust off his clothing. "I assume you're now trying to find out where the dampener's are located?"

"If you have nothing to important to say then shut-"

"There are two locations that may contain them. One is in the grand hall on ground level. Second is probably underground in the basement. While I was being transported to the interrogation block, I caught as many details as I could of the prison. It was useless information, until you came along."

"Alright then. Fifty percent possibility, let's turn you up."

 **Next chapter will be posted around Christmas. I'll also be dropping the first chapter of a new fanfiction that's been swimming around in my head for ages during that time too. Once I'm done with RWBY I'll be doing that. Thanks for reading :)**


	13. Chapter 13 - Why

Feeling something sharp and cold on her neck, Weiss slowly awoke from her sleep. Her eyes immediately met Henry's. As he took a seat across Weiss, their gazes locked to each other and it stayed that way for a long, silent moment. She then turned to her right and looked out the circular window only to see the dark-blue, freezing, northern ocean. As Weiss felt the subtle sway of the room, her stomach churned turning her face green. Trying her best to clear her head, Weiss examined her surroundings and found herself atop a soft bed within a brightly lit room. The walls were a clean, snow-white while the floor was a reflective black metal.

"Since when did the Atlesian Navy become a cruise liner for the wealthy?" Weiss asked sarcastically.

"Since when did Weiss Schnee become an intelligence agent?" Henry smirked. "Relax. Its a short trip."

From what Henry said Weiss was able to narrow down their possible destinations. If it was a short trip by boat, they could not be heading eastward to Mistral. It would take at least a few days to reach Anima, even by air. The northern-west continent of Dragon Wings was also a less likely destination as the closes port built when Atlas conquered it in the mainland was a great distance away from Solitas. Also, Atlas's Royal Harbor, where rumor has it that the kingdom's secret navy was built and hidden there, remained unseen by anyone she knew. The last possibility was, Vytal. It was the closest island that was big enough to build a port on and since they were recently at Atlas's southern most military base, it would make the most sense for it to be their destination.

Feeling a little claustrophobic, Weiss got up and walked to the door. Gently turning the nob and slowly pushing it open, Weiss was met with two towering and masculine men on either side of the door frame. When they saw Weiss standing behind them they turned their gaze to Henry sitting on the bed. At least it was what Weiss thought as the new Atlesian soldier helmets with the T-shaped visors concealed their faces, making them seem as soulless and intimidating as the Atlesian Knights.

"It's alright. I'll be taking her to the deck for interrogation. We'll be back shortly." Henry stood up from his bed and wrapped his fingers around Weiss's arm before escorting her up to the deck.

Once the two reached the main deck, Weiss pulled away her arm from Henry's grasp. She was surprised when he helped her out of the room but was cautious about the reason behind it. Henry's body language remained the same as when they saw each other at her home. But Weiss felt that she was overthinking things. Maybe Henry was trying to be kind for the sake of it. That did not mean that she was not keeping an eye out for any signs of betrayal.

"What's the ships's name?" Weiss inquired as she placed her hands on the railings while gazing out to the vast ocean.

"I don't know. Why do you care?" Henry remarked. "I thought sea sickness was enough to shut you up. Apparently not."

"You could've ignored me every time I spoke, but you didn't. You didn't need to help me get out of that room but you did. I appreciate your... _company_ but I would _really_ like to know why."

"Kindness? Interrogative work? Who knows? You can't trust anyone in Remnant."

"You weren't kind. What you did back there wasn't kindness. Neither were our conversations interrogative. You've changed. I know it has to do with your loss, but there's something else Isn't there?"

"Look, we've got ten minutes up here. I'd rather not drag your seasick body back down to our cabin."

"We?"

"You know what I mean." Henry gazed out to the ocean. Weiss could see his cheeks blush. The same looks she saw with Jaune when he fell for her. But while Jaune was more forward about his flirting, Henry was shy and was more subtle.

Putting her hand over Henry's on the metal railing and grasping it hard, Henry turned to Weiss with a look of surprise on his face. Weiss merely smiled as she gazed into his eyes.

"I have friend who lost a friend some time ago. She was heart broken, left on her knees crying even. I felt helpless as I too was shocked by her death. I wished I could've done something to comfort her but I didn't. I'm not going be helpless again." Receiving a small smile back, Weiss somehow felt happy for him. Though their first meeting was somehow still fresh, his actions in their second meeting has completely changed Weiss's perception of Henry.

"Only a girl like you would still believe in love."

"Love can be weird sometimes, and with you looking _a lot_ like a guy I once thought I loved, its hard to resist."

 ** _Merry Christmas guys. I know this ship is out of the blue and probably most people would hate it, but I wanted to try something else. Thanks for reading and have a Happy Holiday :)_**


	14. Chapter 14 - Blood Sun

"How close are we to Haven?" Blake asked.

"A day's march north. But with the storm slowly approaching from the east, it'll probably take us two more days to wait it out." Sun shielded his eyes from the glaring sun with his hands as he gazed eastward at the oncoming gray clouds before returning his head into the tent.

Its been two weeks since their victory in Hunter Hill. During their advance northward, Blake and her forces were able to defeat the Atlesians and take back three more key locations in the process. However, their victories did not come without a cost. Blake only had half of her original force remaining. Few deserted while many died including the commander. The unrest between faunus and people is at an all time high and they are on their own as non of the other forces have advanced as deep as them. Now Blake led the regiment to what could possibly their final battle that could turn the tide of the war. But Blake knew, without sacrifice, there can be no victory. She was afraid, not of the sacrifice, but of who's role it belonged to.

"So... do you have a plan for our next stronghold, _Commander_?" Sun asked. His laid back personality was still strong as always.

"Athereal's located deep within the Crimson Forest. Its also the only big city outside the main kingdom that's closest to the villages in the eastern peninsula. Once we capture Athereal, we'd have a supply line to our other forces in the front lines. Then, Haven's next." Blake said.

"That's the reason for taking it but... what's the _plan_?"

"Athereal's surrounded by a stone wall. Ilia says that Atlas has lined it with hundreds of Plasma Cannons that guard the city twenty-four, seven. Atlas has also dug a twenty meter wide and fifteen meter deep moat filled with a small amount of rain water around the city making the southern and eastern gates the only points of entrance into the city but even _they_ are protected by a holographic bridge preventing anyone from leaving or entering without the proper clearance. Even with my father's regiment reinforcing us, its still an almost impossible task to take the city."

"What _if_ we use the storm as cover? The rain and haze could hide us a we climb down the trench then scale up the wall. We then sneak into the place where the controls for the bridge and cannons are kept. Once the cannons are offline and the bridge is up, we can then get our troops into the city."

"But we don't know where the controls are kept. Atlas probably has both of them in different places so that if one is down the other one is kept safe."

"Then we split and look for them when we get inside. I know its a risk. But a risk that's needed in war."

Placing a hand on Blake's shoulder, Sun smiled which made Blake smile too. Feeling more comforted by his words, Blake took a deep breath before returning her gaze back to the map with more confidence this time. Sun's plan was better than what she could come up with. But the risk lingered in her mind. Waiting for her father was both a pain and a blessing. Being out in the open has made many in the regiment paranoid of a surprise attack while it also gave them much needed rest. With their camp being so close to Athereal, it was no surprise.

"Commander!" A soldier burst through the tent entrance. "The scouts report seeing Atlesian Cavalry charging out of the southern gate! They could be heading for the camp!"

"Get everyone ready for combat! We stand our ground off here until my father arrives!"

"Yes commander!"

Slamming her fist onto the table, Blake was filled with rage. How did Atlas know about their location? How much time before her father arrives? Blake then realized that she was stressed on the wrong thing. She instead should be focusing on the battle to come.

Emerging out of the tent, Blake and Sun were met by hundreds of faunus and people chaotically rushing around the camp. Many were grabbing their weapons while others were forming up. The skies were a gray hue with the wind picking up, blowing Blake's hair into her face.

"I'll take a few squads and flank the Atlesian Cavalry when they engage you." Sun plants a kiss onto Blake's head before running off. "Stay safe."

Blake watched as Sun joined his squad. He catches his staff with his tail and soon they disappeared into the green forest. Turning to face her soldiers, Blake commanded everyone to form a circle formation in the middle of the camp. She then ordered for a shield wall on the front line of the formation with spears poking out of the gaps between shields to create a forest of spears for the Atlesian cavalry to charge into.

When they were ready, an eerie silence was heard. Blake could hear her men's heavy breathing. Their shivering made their spears and shields clatter against each other like a ringing alarm clock. From that moment on, Blake knew that fear had sunken into the minds of her soldiers. When rustling was heard in the forest, she thought that they were Sun and his men. A second later, she was proven wrong.

Emerging out of the forest around them, were hundreds of white horses charging head first into the shield wall, smashing multiple shields which sent splinters and metal pieces flying. A few had cut Blake's shoulder and one was embedded deep into her flesh. The circle formation around her was now broken and everyone was in a state of panic. Blake would consider herself fortunate that there were no Grimm to sense and come for them, but Atlas was proving itself the bane of the entire war.

As the battle ensued, Blake was met with a charging Atlesian Cavalry. The rider held a blue, holographic shield on his left hand while his right had a long rifle with a long knife attached beneath it. He started firing shots at Blake which she deflected with ease. As he got closer, the gun transformed into a spear and the rider thrusted it toward Blake. Dodging the attack, Blake swung her sword at the horse but only heard a loud clank upon impact. This then proved what the reports say from battles against them, their iron horses were indestructible.

Deciding that the only way to take them down was to eliminate the rider, Blake leaped into the air and landed back down on the horse. Decapitating the rider and tossing him off the metal contraption, Blake saw that the horse had stopped moving entirely and dropped to the ground motionless. She then spotted a cable that was attached to the horse's neck. The man seemed to have a socket for it on his chest piece and when she gazed at his face, she saw that it was an Atlesian Knight. Putting two and two together, Blake found their weakness.

However, as the fighting progressed, Blake had received too many injuries and was starting to tire. Soon, she was taken by surprise and was restrained to the floor by four Atlesian Knights each clinging tightly on her limbs preventing any movement. From her view, Blake watched as her soldiers fell to the ground. Blood flowed like rivers from the mountains and into the sea. She then recalled Sun's words and wondered as to where he was. But her answer came as she watched Sun fight off two Atlesian Knights. As they backed away, they shot harpoons into Sun's limbs and neck. Blake watched in horror and wanted to fight, but she could not. As her tears rolled down her face and her eyes met his, she saw the look of apology on Sun's face.

Everything went silent. The guns that shot the harpoons were passed to the Atlesian Cavalry as they rid away from Sun. Blake cried as she watched Sun get ripped to pieces. Blood splattered everywhere and his limbs were scattered all across the ground.

As she cried in sadness, she could hear one of the Atlesian Knights beeping which was followed by its robotic voice.

"Huntress detected. Adhere to orders by General Ironwood. Obtain any and all Huntsmen and Huntress. Lethal force unauthorized."

In a blink of an eye, Blake was out cold by its punch.


	15. Chapter 15 - Sacrifice

Pain. It was all Yang had ever felt since she awoke. Her body was broken, her mind nearly shattered. Her confidence has been emptied from her body and in its stead, fear reigned. Her head ached more than it ever did before. Multiple electric shocks had cause some of her muscles to violently contract and caused fractures. Yang's legs burned as her feet had been flayed till her ankles and every single one of her nails had been peeled off. This had left her two feet numb and void of any feeling but a constant flesh ripping pain. It did not help that they were also subjected to being crushed from hammering her foot against the wall. Yang's feet were nothing but broken bones within a bag of blood. At least it used to, but now she had no feet at all.

Yang's eyes were moist. It was due to her endless crying from the torture. Yang had tried to kill herself once and almost succeeded if not for Doctor Volt interfering just as Yang almost broke her own neck. Rather than a quick death, Yang received three nails drilled into her left hand. She was always afraid whenever Doctor Volt came into the room. But whenever he would torture Yang, he would soon heal her only for her to experience more painful torture. Yang was afraid. Whatever fighting spirit and hope she had left has been turned to ash.

One day, Doctor Volt walked into the room with another cryo-chamber behind him. Ushering the other scientists to move the chamber into the room, Yang saw that Volt was more cautious as to the chamber's safety. Once it was positioned directly across Yang, the fogged glass of the tube cleared up revealing the person within. To Yang's surprise, it was Cinder. She never believed that Cinder could be captured. One of the Maidens, the most powerful beings in Remnant now that Salem and Ozpin were gone. Yet, Atlas has done it. Knowing what might happen to her, Yang's hatred for Cinder was overshadowed by the compassion she had for the Fall Maiden.

"Begin _partial_ injection of the adrenaline serum. We don't want to make it boring do we? Then remove the limbs. All four of them." Yang heard the doctor say.

Yang watched in silence. She squinted her eyes so as to pretend that she was still knocked out. As she watched the scientists inject four serums with each position at the joints that connect Cinder's limbs to her main body. Thirty seconds later, Cinder was out of cryo, her chamber's door was open and four lasers were positioned in front of her. Just as she awoke, her eyes met Volt's and began to burn.

"Watts?!" Cinder yelled.

"Not precisely, my dear. Begin the procedure."

The lasers came on and start to cut into Cinder's flesh. Her ear-piercing screech filled the room. Yang could already see tears running down her face. The fire in Cinder's eyes had been extinguished. The entire process lasted half an hour. Once the limbs were off of Cinder's body, the wounds were sealed by the scientists using some sort of synthetic gel. Cinder looked exhausted. Yang felt her pain and sympathized with her. When their eyes met, Cinder's eyes burned fire once again.

"Yang..." Yang was afraid to reply as she thought Volt would drill another three nails into her arm. Just then, the screams of Mercury and Emerald could be heard. During the time Yang was kept here, she developed a bond with those two. The three had suffered through grueling hardships both physically and mentally. Yang saw that they were far from their younger selves after arriving hear. Mercury no longer had arms nor legs or even a tongue or ears, Emerald had neither breasts nor legs or even hair on her head and eyes to see with.

"Please!" Emerald cried, "I'll do anything for you! Please!"

"Kill me! Kill me!" Mercury pleaded.

After a few seconds, their screams were silenced by the mixed sounds of flesh ripping, bone cracking and someone gargling. A minute later, Yang could see Emerald and Mercury's bodies pass by her. They rested atop a hovering table with their heads detached from their shoulders. Blood and bones were splattered all across the metal table with strips of red meat from their necks visible for all to see.

"It was fun while it lasted." Volt appeared between Cinder and yang. "But every kid needs new toys. But the old ones... they don't get thrown away for no reason. It would be a waste to discard a perfectly good toy. That's why there's charity."

Entered five massive, bulky men in black suits with shades. They immediately went to Yang and released her from the restrains. Soon after, the men placed a cuff on her wrist that glowed blue when turned on. As she was being placed into a cryo-chamber, the lights flickered and ground shook. Yang was confused and saw that everyone else was as well. When it stopped, a loud boom was heard at the door. Dust clouds engulfed the entrance while the doors lay on the floor.

Yang gazed long at the source of the noise and could see Ruby wielding her scythe fighting off multiple guards. Alongside her sister was Watts firing a rifle and numerous other faces she did not know.

Without a second thought the men in black suits surrounding Yang dropped her and charged toward Ruby. Yang knew that her sister and her group would soon be swarmed and die. Yang was afraid to do anything. Why should she do anything? Ruby was a fool to fight her way free only to look for Yang. But it was for that exact reason Yang felt she should do something. Ruby's love for Yang was unconditional, and so was Yang's love for Ruby. Even if it meant dying for it.

At that moment, Yang knew why she fought. It was for Ruby. It had always been for Ruby. To see her smile every morning. To have her energy around when things seemed bleak. If that was not worth dying for, Yang did not know what was.

Getting up from her chamber, Yang broke off her cuff by smashing it against the floor. Once it was off, Yang felt her semblance return to her. It was like a breath of fresh air after weeks of living below the surface. Taking a fighting stance, Yang drew back her left arm and charged at the men in suits. With one swing the man she had hit did not even flinch. Instead he smacked Yang away like a petty house fly.

Getting back up, Yang charged again. This time however, her eyes turned red and her hair burned fire. When she hit the same guy again, he went flying colliding with anyone in his path. Finally, Yang was back. But without her gauntlets or her other arm, she was weak. To save her sister's life, Yang knew she had to give up hers. Seeing a massive cylindrical tank with the, Yang started punching it till bursts of gas began leaking out of it.

"Ruby! Get out of here!" With one more punch, Yang was blinded by a flash of light and soon after, knocked out by the blast. The only thing she could hear was her sister's voice screaming her name.

"Yang!"


End file.
